For, under pretest of an embassy, he went to Sparta, where, upon the Lacedaemonians charging him with rebuilding the walls, and Poliarchus coming on purpose from Aegina to denounce it, he denied the fact, bidding them to send people to Athens to see whether it were so or no; by which delay he got time for the building of the wall, and also placed these ambassadors in the hands of his countrymen as hostages for him; and so, when the Lacedaemonians knew the truth, they did him no hurt, but, suppressing all display of their anger for the present, sent him away.
"Plutarch-Lives-of-the-noble-Grecians-and-Romans"
Clough, Arthur Hugh
But under what pretest was the absence of the conqueror of Montebello to be procured?
"The Project Gutenberg Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte"
Bourrienne, Constant, and Stewarton
An Austrian corps even penetrated into some provinces of the Electorate; all this afforded Napoleon a pretest for going to the aid of his allies.
"The Project Gutenberg Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte"
Bourrienne, Constant, and Stewarton